Akanksha.GuptaGurgaon: Residents of sectors 43, 27 and Sushant Lok-1 took to the streets on Thursday to protest GMDA’s plan to convert Vyapar Kendra Road into a two-way stretch. Claiming that the traffic arrangement has worsened congestion, blocked access to residential colonies and created safety concerns for commuters, the residents pointed out that the earlier one-way system had been functioning smoothly for around 11 years, allowing traffic to move between Vyapar Kendra, Galleria Market and surrounding sectors.“What worked smoothly for 11 years has been disrupted without proper planning,” D Block RWA president in Sushant Lok-1 Akshay Tripathi said. Residents said that the revised arrangement, introduced without adequate consultation with RWAs and traffic police, has left motorists with no direct connectivity to the main road and forced them to take lengthy detours to access their homes. SHOs of Sector 29 and Sushant Lok-1 police stations reached the spot and assured the protesters that their concerns would be addressed.Joint secretary of Sector 43 RWA Anand Malhotra said, “If the road has to be made two-way, the authorities must ensure that traffic signals, proper signage and adequate traffic management are in place. The public should not suffer because of the change.” Residents said GMDA should review the plan in consultation with residents and traffic police and restore convenient access points wherever feasible. They urged the authority to assess the congestion and safety implications before proceeding further with the arrangement. A GMDA official said the decision on allowing two-way traffic on Vyapar Kendra Road rests with the traffic police. “We are only completing the pending works on the stretch. The traffic police will take a call on whether the road should be made two-way,” the official said.Tripathi said the changes have disrupted access to residential complexes along the stretch, including the approach near Hanuman Mandir. “There are many apartments in the area as well and the new arrangement has blocked their direct access to the main road. Several entry points towards Sector 43 have also been closed, making it difficult for residents to reach Vyapar Kendra or return home,” he said.Tripathi said that the restrictions could create problems during emergencies, when ambulances, fire engines and other essential services need unobstructed access to residential areas. “Given the kind of traffic that has increased many folds over the past 11 years, this two-way was never ever needed. We have been locked in an open jail and do not have the access to the main road. This has been done without due diligence,” he said.Residents of Sector 43 said the closure of a median opening that had allowed vehicles to cross between the two sides had further aggravated the problem. They said motorists travelling between Sectors 43 and 27 now had to take longer routes via Golf Course Road or DLF-5, adding 4-5 kilometres to journeys that previously took only a few minutes.Sector 43 RWA president Raj Kumar Yadav said the impact was particularly severe during peak hours. “I took my children to school and, on my return, it took me around 55 minutes to cover the stretch from IFFCO Chowk to our area, although the journey would normally take about 15 minutes. Traffic has become extremely heavy and vehicles are moving across the barricaded areas in different directions, increasing the risk of accidents,” he said.Yadav added that the closure of the median opening had left residents with few convenient alternatives. He said that the traffic plan had been implemented without adequate consultation with traffic police or a proper assessment of how it would affect movement between adjoining sectors.Residents said the change should not be assessed only by whether it allows two-way movement on the road, but also by whether it improves traffic flow across the surrounding area without cutting off access or creating new bottlenecks. Joint secretary of Sector 43 RWA Anand Malhotra said residents were not opposed to improvements on the road but wanted the authorities to address the problems created by the new arrangement. “The earlier one-way system was more convenient because residents could access Vyapar Kendra and return to their sector or colonies without facing these difficulties,” he said.The protest comes amid concerns over traffic management on Vyapar Kendra Road, a key stretch serving residential sectors and commercial areas. Motorists have already begun using the road for movement in both directions, even as the authority continues work on the traffic arrangement, including the installation of flexible spring bollards and other measures intended to regulate vehicle movement.